05 Φεβρουαρίου 2013

Πρέσβης των ΗΠΑ στα Τίρανα: Η συμφωνία Μπερίσα για τα θαλάσσια σύνορα είναι ενάντια στα αμερικανικά συμφέροντα


Πρέσβης των ΗΠΑ στα Τίρανα: Η συμφωνία Μπερίσα για τα θαλάσσια σύνορα είναι ενάντια στα αμερικανικά συμφέροντα
Aftonomi.gr/Μέχρι σήμερα είχε χιλιοειπωθεί πως σημαντικό ρόλο για την «ακύρωση» της συμφωνίας Ελλάδας – Αλβανίας για τα θαλάσσια σύνορα έπαιξαν η Τουρκία και η Ιταλία, σήμερα η αλβανική εφημερίδα “SOT” επικαλείται δηλώσεις του αμερικανού πρέσβη των ΗΠΑ, Aleksander Arvizu, ο οποίος φέρεται να είπε σε συνάντηση που είχε προ ημερών με τον ηγέτη των Ερυθρόμαυρων Εθνικιστών της Αλβανίας πως "ο Μπερίσα έκανε παζάρια με την Αθήνα για το θέμα των θαλάσσιων συνόρων και δεν πρόδωσε μόνο τα συμφέροντα της Αλβανίας αλλά και τα συμφέροντα των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής, κατηγορώντας τον ταυτόχρονα πως υπέγραψε κρυφά την «πώληση» της θάλασσας".

Μάλιστα ο αμερικανός πρέσβης Aleksander Arvizu εξέφρασε την εκτίμηση του προς όλους τους πολιτικούς παράγοντες που κατήγγειλαν την θαλάσσια συμφωνία, ενώ σχολίασε και τον τρόπο με τον οποίο η αλβανική πλευρά απέρριψε την συμμέτοχη των ΗΠΑ στις διαπραγματεύσεις μετά από υποτιθέμενες ισχυρές πιέσεις της Αθήνας.
Ο  Αρβιζού δήλωσε επίσης ότι, «αν η αμερικανική πρεσβεία στα Τίρανα θα λάμβανε μέρος στις διαπραγματεύσεις, η συμφωνία θα ήταν διαφανής και δεν θα πέρναγε στην βουλή».

Το απόρρητο τηλεγράφημα των ΗΠΑ για την θαλάσσια συμφωνία Ελλάδας – Αλβανίας

Η σύγκρουση του Μπερίσα με τις ΗΠΑ για την θαλάσσια συμφωνία επιβεβαιώνεται και σε ένα από τα απόρρητα τηλεγραφήματα που έστειλε η αμερικανική πρεσβεία στα Τίρανα προς  το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών των ΗΠΑ. Το τηλεγράφημα με κωδικό 08TIRANA745 το οποίο απεστάλη τον Οκτώβριο του 2008 έχει χαρακτηριστεί ως εμπιστευτικό και είχε ως τίτλο: «Η Ελλάδα ασκεί πίεση στην Αλβανία για το θέμα των συνόρων και των νεκροταφείων».
Στο τηλεγράφημα η αμερικανική πρεσβεία εξηγεί το πώς η Αθήνα πίεσε τον Μπερίσα να κρατήσει μακριά από τις διαπραγματεύσεις του αμερικανούς.
«Κατά τη διάρκεια των πρόσφατων συνομιλιών στα Τίρανα, ο Έλληνας αξιωματούχος επικεφαλής της αντιπροσωπείας έδωσε τελεσίγραφο προς την Αλβανική κυβέρνηση. Η ελληνική κυβέρνηση μπορεί να αποδειχθεί πρόθυμη να συμβιβαστεί όσον αφορά τα θαλάσσια σύνορα κοντά στην Κέρκυρα(πιθανώς λόγω των υφιστάμενων αμερικανικών στρατιωτικών ενδιαφέρον για την οικοδόμηση μιας αμερικανικής στρατιωτικής βάσης στο Jal, στη Νότια Αλβανία). Ωστόσο, ο Έλληνας αξιωματούχος προειδοποίησε την αλβανική αντιπροσωπεία, για την εκπλήρωση και της άλλης απαίτησης, την διατήρηση «των μακρινών δυνάμεων», και συγκεκριμένα των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής, εκτός των συνομιλιών" - αναφέρει μεταξύ άλλων το απόρρητο διπλωματικό τηλεγράφημα. 

Ακολουθεί ολόκληρο το τηλεγράφημα της Αμερικανικής πρεσβείας στα Τίρανα με τίτλο «Η Ελλάδα ασκεί πίεση στην Αλβανία για το θέμα των συνόρων και των νεκροταφείων»

Reference IDCreatedClassificationOrigin
08TIRANA745 2008-10-09 13:28 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Tirana
VZCZCXRO2226
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTI #0745/01 2831328
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091328Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY TIRANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7494
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 3531
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 2419
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TIRANA 000745 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV GR AL
SUBJECT: GREECE PRESSURING ALBANIA ON BORDER, CEMETERY ISSUES 
 
Classified By: CDA Stephen A. Cristina, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  The Greek government is pressuring the GOA 
to 
accept its demands in bilateral negotiations to demarcate 
the two countries' maritime border.  Athens is also 
threatening to refuse to ratify Albania's Stabilization and 
Association Agreement with the EU over a contentious issue 
involving Greek military cemeteries in Albania, in what the 
GOA views as a repeat of Greek blackmail used against 
Macedonia's NATO membership ambitions.  Talks on the cemetery 
Issue continue after the latest round of negotiations on 
September 30 
ended inconclusively.  End Summary. 
 
ALBANIA: GREECE MANIPULATING BORDER DEMARCATION METHODS 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
2.  (C) According to Ledia Hysi, 
Director of Legal Affairs and Treaties at the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, The Albanian and Greek governments have been 
negotiating for several months to demarcate their maritime 
border.  The negotiations have 
encountered multiple problems due to what she described as 
the Greeks' "double standard" by using different 
demarcation methods for different portions of the 
coastline, while Albania uses one standard baseline 
demarcation system employed under existing international 
conventions.  In other words, the Albanians charge 
the Greeks with cherry-picking the most favorable borders 
 by using different 
demarcation methods for separate points of the border. 
During one 
of the recent negotiating sessions in Tirana, the Greek 
official heading the delegation gave his Albanian 
counterpart an ultimatum.  The Greek Government would be 
willing to compromise on the maritime border near Corfu 
(reportedly due to existing American military interests to 
build a U.S. military installation in Jale, Southern 
Albania).  However, the Greek official warned the Albanian 
delegation to comply with their other requests and to keep 
"distant powers," namely the U.S, out of the negotiations. 
An identical phrase was also used in a meeting in Tirana 
by the Greek Ambassador during a meeting with Foreign 
Minister Basha. 
 
BEWARE OF GREEKS BEARING UNREASONABLE DEMANDS? 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
3.  (C) Another contentious issue between Athens and Tirana 
is Greek demands to build up to four 
military cemeteries in southern and eastern Albania to 
commemorate Greek soldiers who died in Albania fighting 
Italian forces in 1920.  The GOA opposes the Greek proposal 
because it objects to Athens' plan for foreign military 
cemeteries on Albanian soil that would be based on a 
separate religious and ethnic identity, and also for giving 
Athens a toehold to exercise historical Greek territorial 
claims to southern Albania.  In spite of repeated demands 
by the GOA to establish an independent commission of 
experts to determine the issue, Athens has always 
maintained that the cemeteries issue is a "take it or leave 
it" proposition. 
 
4.  (C) On September 30, Greek and Albanian negotiators 
met in Tirana but failed again to hash out an agreement 
on the cemetery issue.  According to the Albanian Director 
General 
for Regional Affairs and chief negotiator, 
Islam Lauka, the Albanians rejected a Greek 
demand for four cemeteries in southern Albania, offering 
instead one cemetery in Tirana.  (NOTE: The remains of 
British, 
German and most other foreign troops killed in Albania during 
WWI, WWII and the Balkan Wars were gathered and interred in 
Tirana. 
The remains of Italian troops were gathered and returned to 
Italy.  No 
foreign troops have been buried in Albania "on the 
battlefield," as 
the Greek government has requested.  END NOTE.) 
 
5.  (C) According to Lauka, after rejecting the initial Greek 
offer, 
the Albanian side agreed to allow one Greek cemetery in 
southern Albania - 
an offer Lauka characterized as a major concession, given the 
fact that 
all other cemeteries for foreign troops are in Tirana.  The 
 
TIRANA 00000745  002 OF 002 
 
 
Greeks 
made a counter-offer for 2 cemeteries in the south, with an 
option for a 
third cemetery later.  The GOA turned down the Greek 
proposal, thus ending 
the talks inconclusively. 
 
6.  (C) Lauka noted that as it became clear to the Greek side 
that 
the talks were not going as planned, one of the Greek 
negotiators told Lauka that because of domestic political 
considerations it would be unacceptable for the Greeks "to go 
home empty handed."  Lauka told the Greek team that the 
Albanians had their own domestic political considerations to 
worry about 
as well, referring to the ethnic-Albanian Cham population 
that was expelled 
from Greece following WWII and has ongoing property 
restitution claims 
with the government of Greece (to be reported septel). 
 
 
GREECE THREATENS TO BLOCK ALBANIA SAA 
------------------------------------- 
 
7.  (C) During a previous round of negotiations over the 
cemeteries, 
after passing the message to keep Washington out of the 
negotiations, the Greeks gave the Albanians a second, 
stronger ultimatum.  While Albania's Stabilization and 
Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union has 
been ratified so far by 22 EU countries, Greece is among 
the last three states that so far have not.  The Greek 
Ambassador told Basha that if the GOA does not agree to 
Athens' terms regarding the military cemeteries, then the 
Greek parliament will never ratify the SAA.  He also told 
Basha that on the same day that Albania signs off on the 
cemeteries issue, the Greek Parliament will ratify Albania's 
SAA.  On the issue of the countries' maritime border - 
and in spite of the fact that the Greek negotiating stance 
is contrary to international conventions - Athens has said 
that the border will either be agreed upon on its terms or 
not at all.  Hysi said the Greek position was a serious 
threat to the long-term development of the southern coastal 
area, as it will create obstacles for tourism, transport, 
fishing, seabed oil and gas exploitation, and that it could 
even lead to territorial incidents with Greece.  With 
memories still fresh over Athens' veto of Macedonia's NATO 
invitation, the GOA believes the Greek positions on the 
maritime border and the cemeteries issues to be serious 
threats to Albanian interests and sovereignty. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
8.  (C) The GOA at this point does not seem overly worried 
about Greece's threat to block SAA ratification, apparently 
believing 
that as long as Albania continues to make a good-faith effort 
to continue talks the Greeks won't want to isolate themselves 
within the EU over an issue other EU countries will likely 
see 
as minor. 
But in the wake of Greek success in blocking Macedonia's 
NATO aspirations, the Albanians aren't convinced either that 
the 
Greeks are merely bluffing.  At this point the GOA has not 
asked for 
U.S. assistance or intervention with Greece, preferring to 
work 
this out with the Greeks themselves. 
 
CRISTINA 
CRISTINA